After Jim's explanation, I had figured that the switch on top of the dryer was a safety item added to prevent damage to the system once the refrigerant was depleted. I also figured that using a spade-type fuse was the safest way to jump that circuit. I do appreciate Bill's heads up on having that to make the compressor work when recharging, and Steve's clarification to others with regard to model differences.
So, if I have my problem correctly figured out, all I need to do to get my climate control to work properly is to evacuate the system, recharge the refrigerant, add a tracer dye when doing so, and then look to see if there are any leaks, then rectify the leakage issue to have a perfectly sealed and correctly functioning climate control system?
Beats the hell out of having to spend $500 to have someone at an AC shop diagnose the problem, and tell me the same thing.
My heartfelt gratitude will increase during the summer in proportion to the temperature...
